Pro re nata versus fixed aflibercept regimen for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Aflibercept is a relatively new anti-VEGF used to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The purpose of this review is to evaluate the effect of pro re nata (PRN) and fixed regimen (bimonthly) of aflibercept injection for neovascular AMD on visual outcomes at 12 months of follow-up. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, EBSCOHost, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases. Number of injections, number of hospital visit, mean change of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), mean change of central macular thickness (CMT), and adverse effects of the included studies were evaluated. Meta-analysis were performed using Review Manager 5.4. RESULTS: Four studies were selected for meta-analyses synthesis (3 RCT, 1 retrospective study). A total of 197 eyes in PRN group and 241 eyes in the fixed group. All four studies favored fixed regimen with standardized mean difference of 0.56 (95% CI 0.36–0.75, I(2) = 0%, p < 0.00001). There was no significant difference in CMT between both group with SMD of 0.17 (95% CI − 0.14–0.48, I(2) = 26%, p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis shows that bimonthly injection of aflibercept for neovascular AMD is superior compared to PRN injection, shown by better improvement in BCVA at 12 months follow-up. However, high risk of bias downgrade the certainty of evidence. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40942-022-00416-x.